On our way from Atlanta to Florida for the holidays, we stopped over in Savannah again. Nicole really wanted her ghost experience and Mary Lou wanted to see a cargo ship float down main street. We parked the car at the visitor's center parking lot and walked South, to the newer Victorian section of the historic district. We just crisscrossed back and forth through the neighborhood, enjoying the Spanish moss dripping from the oak trees, the beautiful houses and the fountains. We stumbled across General Cashmir Pulaski's monument and tomb (strangely, not in Pulaski Square). He was killed in battle in Savannah. After reading his heroic story, we started to feel bad that our hometown has purposely mispronounced his name for so many years. Apparently, our town used to be called Fishville, but the State ordered us to change it to honor General Pulaski, or else face budget cuts. So, we grudgingly changed it, but spitefully decided we would forever mispronounce it Pulasky.
We walked North to the Riverpark, hoping to see the big ships come in at high tide. We saw a lot of ferry activity, bringing the Friday night revelers in to the nightlife, but no ships. Oh well, time for a drink!
We started at Vic's on the waterfront: Hendrick's martinis, crawfish beignets, raw oysters and shrimp. When the bill came, we realized that it was happy hour, and we ordered two more martinis! On our way to the next venue, The Pirate House, a supposedly old house that maybe we could find a ghost in, we both had terrible hiccups. You could probably hear the two of us from blocks away. The Pirate House was all lacquered plywood, tourist gimmicks, and bottom shelf drinks, but a wonderful Captain Jack Sparrow did greet us on the way in. We chugged our sickeningly sweet mint julep slushies and carried on to The Olde Pink House Tavern Bar. We took a seat in the corner, next to the candlelit wine vault. Had a delicious dinner of shrimp and scallops over cauliflower puree and roast duck, with wine pairings. Nicole went to the bathroom four times to see if she could get locked in and meet the ghost of the concubine that the Mayor's wife had locked in there, but, alas…. Nothing.
After such a fun night, we slept in until 11.30 and headed to Bonaventure Cemetery, via Wormsloe Plantation, which has the longest oak drive in the world. The Cemetery is serene and gorgeous. It was the setting of the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". We found the gravesite of Johnny Mercer, whom we never knew was the founder of Capital Records, and the sad statue of a sweet little Gracie Watson.
The whole East Coast was enveloped in fog, but we had to drive through Jekyll Island. We drove over bridges that disappeared into the fog, like bridges to nowhere. It was surreal. The island roads are all detoured for construction, but we were able to see the "cottages" of the rich and famous: J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, John J. Hill, Everett Macy, William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Richard Teller Crane. They all had to leave the island when it was deemed environmentally unstable. Jekyll was currently taken over by the film set of the latest Xmen movie. Nicole tried to sweet talk her way into meeting Hugh Jackman, but he wasn't on set yet.
We reached Boynton Beach at 2 am. Slept in the Walmart parking lot so as not to wake Grandma. Will be with Grandma and Kyle for Christmas and New Years!
Click here for photos!
12.27.2010
12.16.2010
Atlanta and Juliette, GA
We left Tybee Island, drove through miles and miles of picked over cotton fields, to the New York City of the South, Atlanta. We had only been two hours away from, and should have gone there after, Chattanooga, but…whatever, we have time. We went in search of the long lost Doomiche Walker Danger Texas Ranger M.D. Nicole hadn't seen her in 8 years, since she moved South, at her going away party. It was like those 8 years hadn't passed and we caught up over pomegranate martinis, red wine, and apple pie shots. With her very sweet roommate, Regina, we played Pitch, Spades, and Dominos (Mexican Train). It was really cold out, so we were thankful to be inside and warm, although we (okay, Mom) had to go at 3.00am (when we were finally done playing cards) to rev the RV engine so the battery would keep the furnace going and the pipes wouldn't freeze.
We went to the High Museum of art to see "Dali: The Late Work", even though it seems it's not cool to like Dali anymore. The observed general opinion is, "I used to like Dali, but I'm over him". Well, we are still fascinated with his work and impressed with his skill, creativity and intelligence. We especially liked the lithographs that Dali did for Don Quixote.
We also visited the Folk Art wing to see works by Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Howard Finster, Mattie Lou O'Kelley, and Mose Tolliver. Being in the South provided our introduction to these self-taught artists, but also, being in the South, crossing though the Carolinas and Georgia, helps to appreciate these artists, their personal stories, and their works. Mom says, "Rothko sucks".
We passed through the modern art galleries, (where Doomiche couldn't stop laughing at the giant white trapezoid hanging next to the giant green Trivial Pursuit looking piece), to finished with the Titian exhibition. Mom had been excited to see it, but realized that she had confused him with one of the artists that she actually did like (Tintoretto) while studying in Italy.
We ate dinner at Varsity, an Atlanta dining institution. The experience of having "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" shouted at you by thirty cashiers, and the hats, were damn fun, but the hotdogs and burgers weren't anything to write home about.
The following day, we visited the Margaret Mitchell house and learned all about how "in a weak moment, [she] wrote Gone With the Wind". Nicole was the only one of the group who hadn't seen the movie, even though when she was younger, some folks used to say she favoured Miss Scarlett. Doomiche just happened to have a copy, and we watched it after delicious dinners of turkey hash, bangers and mac, shrimp and grits, and salmon in coca-cola bbq glaze at the Flying Biscuit Cafe. Nicole clapped her appreciation after the first half, not realizing the the dvd had to be flipped over and that there were one and a half more hours.
We said thank you for the hospitality and drinks and breakfasts, and said goodbye and good wishes to Doomiche and Regina. After some discussion, we decided to head southeast, via the local roads, and pass by Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is the largest outcropping of granite in the world. Being Yankees, we had never even heard of it before, but into the massive boulder, they have carved the 'Mt Rushmore of the South'; a Confederate bas relief of Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and General Stonewall Jackson, overseen by Gutson Borglum, the same artist who did Mt. Rushmore.
After driving through acres and acres of some 'experimental forests', which looked like they had all been control-burned, we stopped at a KOA campsite in Forsyth and hooked up for the night. The next morning, we felt like we still needed some catch up sleep and get some work done time, so we decided to stay for an extra day. For lunch, we drove North 12 miles to the town of Juliette, where they filmed the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. We ate at the actual Whistle Stop Cafe. Mom told me not to order the bbq, but I didn't 'get it', as I had not seen the movie. So, after a lunch of, yes, fried green tomatoes, Southern fried steak, fried catfish, sweet potato soufflé, and pecan cobbler, she bought me the movie. We watched it in the RV. Great movie, made even cooler by the fact that I had just eaten at, watched the trains go by, and seen the waterfall the kids walk across in Whistle Stop.
On our way to Boynton Beach for Christmas, we are stopping in Savannah. $7 to stay overnight in the visitor centre right in the historic area and the chance to go back to the hopefully haunted Tavern Bar at the Olde Pink House!
Soundtrack:
Eric Church (Smoke a Little Smoke)
Patti LaBalle (Barbeque Bess)
Click here for photos!
We went to the High Museum of art to see "Dali: The Late Work", even though it seems it's not cool to like Dali anymore. The observed general opinion is, "I used to like Dali, but I'm over him". Well, we are still fascinated with his work and impressed with his skill, creativity and intelligence. We especially liked the lithographs that Dali did for Don Quixote.
We also visited the Folk Art wing to see works by Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Howard Finster, Mattie Lou O'Kelley, and Mose Tolliver. Being in the South provided our introduction to these self-taught artists, but also, being in the South, crossing though the Carolinas and Georgia, helps to appreciate these artists, their personal stories, and their works. Mom says, "Rothko sucks".
We passed through the modern art galleries, (where Doomiche couldn't stop laughing at the giant white trapezoid hanging next to the giant green Trivial Pursuit looking piece), to finished with the Titian exhibition. Mom had been excited to see it, but realized that she had confused him with one of the artists that she actually did like (Tintoretto) while studying in Italy.
We ate dinner at Varsity, an Atlanta dining institution. The experience of having "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" shouted at you by thirty cashiers, and the hats, were damn fun, but the hotdogs and burgers weren't anything to write home about.
The following day, we visited the Margaret Mitchell house and learned all about how "in a weak moment, [she] wrote Gone With the Wind". Nicole was the only one of the group who hadn't seen the movie, even though when she was younger, some folks used to say she favoured Miss Scarlett. Doomiche just happened to have a copy, and we watched it after delicious dinners of turkey hash, bangers and mac, shrimp and grits, and salmon in coca-cola bbq glaze at the Flying Biscuit Cafe. Nicole clapped her appreciation after the first half, not realizing the the dvd had to be flipped over and that there were one and a half more hours.
We said thank you for the hospitality and drinks and breakfasts, and said goodbye and good wishes to Doomiche and Regina. After some discussion, we decided to head southeast, via the local roads, and pass by Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is the largest outcropping of granite in the world. Being Yankees, we had never even heard of it before, but into the massive boulder, they have carved the 'Mt Rushmore of the South'; a Confederate bas relief of Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and General Stonewall Jackson, overseen by Gutson Borglum, the same artist who did Mt. Rushmore.
After driving through acres and acres of some 'experimental forests', which looked like they had all been control-burned, we stopped at a KOA campsite in Forsyth and hooked up for the night. The next morning, we felt like we still needed some catch up sleep and get some work done time, so we decided to stay for an extra day. For lunch, we drove North 12 miles to the town of Juliette, where they filmed the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. We ate at the actual Whistle Stop Cafe. Mom told me not to order the bbq, but I didn't 'get it', as I had not seen the movie. So, after a lunch of, yes, fried green tomatoes, Southern fried steak, fried catfish, sweet potato soufflé, and pecan cobbler, she bought me the movie. We watched it in the RV. Great movie, made even cooler by the fact that I had just eaten at, watched the trains go by, and seen the waterfall the kids walk across in Whistle Stop.
On our way to Boynton Beach for Christmas, we are stopping in Savannah. $7 to stay overnight in the visitor centre right in the historic area and the chance to go back to the hopefully haunted Tavern Bar at the Olde Pink House!
Soundtrack:
Eric Church (Smoke a Little Smoke)
Patti LaBalle (Barbeque Bess)
Click here for photos!
12.14.2010
Savannah and Tybee Island, GA
12.09.10
Awoke to a good start with seasonally delicious breakfast pumpkin waffles (from Deborah's mix!). Performed some routine maintenance and headed towards points South.
We took the local roads to see the coastline of South Carolina. Aptly named The Low Country, it is flat flat marshland with winding tributaries and bays. Every bridge seemed to have the same view - a few shrimping boats, a few long docks stretching from houses hidden back on the solid land, and miles and miles of marsh grass between the numerous tributaries . At low tide, it is all a big sand pit with boats held hostage until the water returns.
We drove through the historic town of Beauford, home to Parris Airfare Base and a large Confederate cemetery. The houses and marinas were lovely, but the downtown was modernized and quiet. Apparently, they have fantastic Shrimp festivals in Beaufort, but we certainly aren't in the right season. We took Rachel Ray's advice and stopped for lunch at Signe's Cafe in Hilton Head. Rachel had said the breakfasts were not to be missed, but we had a three inch thick crab tart and shrimp and grits. We left with a piece of Key Lime bread pudding, two blueberry muffins for the morning, and a double chocolate muffin with chocolate cream cheese icing covered in chocolate ganache.
Hilton Head was what we expected (boring) and we drove straight out. We drove through Savannah to the closest Walmart for some necessities shopping. We ate our deserts, watched two episodes of 'Community' and fell asleep.
Woke up early and headed to the historic downtown of Savannah. We parked the RV in the visitor's center, learned that we could leave the RV (with us in it, we assumed) overnight for only $8. Sweet deal.
Savannah is awesome. Established in 1733 by James Oglethorpe, he laid the town out in the grid which still exists. We started on River Street, right next to the river, and moved up to the street level Factor's Walk, which are old factories, including the Cotton Exchange, converted to restaurants and shops. Since the river is not incredibly wide, the huge cargo ships that come in from the ocean glide right by the Riverfront. They are so massive, seen from ground level, like a moving city block floating right behind the factory roofs. They are really cool to watch.
We headed into the old city, which is only about one mile in length and breadth. The city is simply stunning. The buildings are old and have so much character. The cities 24 parks are lushly green, evenly spaced throughout the city and surrounded by beautiful old estates. We stopped in some beautiful stores (our favorite was The Paris Store and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Store) and found the prices very reasonable. Even in the restaurants and convenience stores, Savannah was much more affordable than Charleston. Charleston was great fun, but there is a real charm and pleasant energy all around Savannah.
After we took a tour of the ridiculously gorgeous Owen - Thomas House, we found ourselves right outside of Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant. I'm sure that it was awesome when she was there cooking, but, it seems to have become simply a tourist attraction, and not really a culinary experience. It wasn't that great. Sister Sharon's cooking was much better!!
After more walking around the city, we visited the Telfair Academy of Arts and then the modern art. I highly, highly recommend visiting them (one ticket gets you in to both plus the Owens - Thomas house). Just the buildings alone, where the art collections are housed, are amazing. The permanent collections in both contain some amazing pieces, including plaster casts of Laocoon (which mom had fallen in love with at the vatican) …. at the Academy. The current exhibitions at the modern were "Modern Masters" from the Smithsonian collection, and Southern Folk Artists. I've become quit taken with a few Southern Folk artists in the last few weeks….
We had asked our docent at the Owens House, where our best chance of encountering a ghost would be. She recommended the Olde Pink House bar. Upon entering the house, they directed through the dining rooms to the bar. After we had already ordered our cocktails, looked around to find that the bar really seemed like an addition, we asked the bartender if she had ever seen a ghost. She informed us that there were stories, but they were all based downstairs in the Tavern Bar! I was pissed that the concierge hadn't asked us which bar we were looking for. By the time we finished our drink and got down to the Tavern bar, there was not an open seat in the place. It was absolutely gorgeous. Apparently, the owner of the house, a Savannah mayor, I believe, used to throw debaucherous parties down there for his many concubines. One day, his wife came home early and while most people fled, one concubine ran into the bathroom and the wife locked her in. She died in there and to this day, neither the bathrooms or their stalls have locks on them, because her ghost has tried to lock a few of the female staff in there. We were really tired after our day of walking though, so we decided to just head back to our rv. We'll have to go back and have a drink there someday…..
We did look for a party on our walk home, but everyone was too cold to come out and play. Since it was the second night sleeping without hookup, our battery ran out in the night, and we awoke shivering! As soon as the parking lot gate was up, we headed out to Tybee Island, to get some heat, and spend a nice quite, spending free day. Took a long, long shower, walked on the beach, saw some more dolphins frolicking where the ocean meets the river, and drove by the Pulaski Fort.
We both would have like to spend more time in Savannah, but we have a few people to visit on the way to meet Kyle and Grandma in Florida.
Now we're visiting Nicole's high school friend and the High Museum, in Atlanta, GA. We are warm and toasty in Rachel Doomiche Walker's apt, but have to go out every few hours in the night and make sure the heat is running and the rv doesn't freeze! Spending a lot on propane....
Soundtrack:
Otis Redding
Little Richard
Ray Charles
Vicky Lawrence (The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia)
Click here for photos!
Awoke to a good start with seasonally delicious breakfast pumpkin waffles (from Deborah's mix!). Performed some routine maintenance and headed towards points South.
We took the local roads to see the coastline of South Carolina. Aptly named The Low Country, it is flat flat marshland with winding tributaries and bays. Every bridge seemed to have the same view - a few shrimping boats, a few long docks stretching from houses hidden back on the solid land, and miles and miles of marsh grass between the numerous tributaries . At low tide, it is all a big sand pit with boats held hostage until the water returns.
We drove through the historic town of Beauford, home to Parris Airfare Base and a large Confederate cemetery. The houses and marinas were lovely, but the downtown was modernized and quiet. Apparently, they have fantastic Shrimp festivals in Beaufort, but we certainly aren't in the right season. We took Rachel Ray's advice and stopped for lunch at Signe's Cafe in Hilton Head. Rachel had said the breakfasts were not to be missed, but we had a three inch thick crab tart and shrimp and grits. We left with a piece of Key Lime bread pudding, two blueberry muffins for the morning, and a double chocolate muffin with chocolate cream cheese icing covered in chocolate ganache.
Hilton Head was what we expected (boring) and we drove straight out. We drove through Savannah to the closest Walmart for some necessities shopping. We ate our deserts, watched two episodes of 'Community' and fell asleep.
Woke up early and headed to the historic downtown of Savannah. We parked the RV in the visitor's center, learned that we could leave the RV (with us in it, we assumed) overnight for only $8. Sweet deal.
Savannah is awesome. Established in 1733 by James Oglethorpe, he laid the town out in the grid which still exists. We started on River Street, right next to the river, and moved up to the street level Factor's Walk, which are old factories, including the Cotton Exchange, converted to restaurants and shops. Since the river is not incredibly wide, the huge cargo ships that come in from the ocean glide right by the Riverfront. They are so massive, seen from ground level, like a moving city block floating right behind the factory roofs. They are really cool to watch.
We headed into the old city, which is only about one mile in length and breadth. The city is simply stunning. The buildings are old and have so much character. The cities 24 parks are lushly green, evenly spaced throughout the city and surrounded by beautiful old estates. We stopped in some beautiful stores (our favorite was The Paris Store and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Store) and found the prices very reasonable. Even in the restaurants and convenience stores, Savannah was much more affordable than Charleston. Charleston was great fun, but there is a real charm and pleasant energy all around Savannah.
After we took a tour of the ridiculously gorgeous Owen - Thomas House, we found ourselves right outside of Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant. I'm sure that it was awesome when she was there cooking, but, it seems to have become simply a tourist attraction, and not really a culinary experience. It wasn't that great. Sister Sharon's cooking was much better!!
After more walking around the city, we visited the Telfair Academy of Arts and then the modern art. I highly, highly recommend visiting them (one ticket gets you in to both plus the Owens - Thomas house). Just the buildings alone, where the art collections are housed, are amazing. The permanent collections in both contain some amazing pieces, including plaster casts of Laocoon (which mom had fallen in love with at the vatican) …. at the Academy. The current exhibitions at the modern were "Modern Masters" from the Smithsonian collection, and Southern Folk Artists. I've become quit taken with a few Southern Folk artists in the last few weeks….
We had asked our docent at the Owens House, where our best chance of encountering a ghost would be. She recommended the Olde Pink House bar. Upon entering the house, they directed through the dining rooms to the bar. After we had already ordered our cocktails, looked around to find that the bar really seemed like an addition, we asked the bartender if she had ever seen a ghost. She informed us that there were stories, but they were all based downstairs in the Tavern Bar! I was pissed that the concierge hadn't asked us which bar we were looking for. By the time we finished our drink and got down to the Tavern bar, there was not an open seat in the place. It was absolutely gorgeous. Apparently, the owner of the house, a Savannah mayor, I believe, used to throw debaucherous parties down there for his many concubines. One day, his wife came home early and while most people fled, one concubine ran into the bathroom and the wife locked her in. She died in there and to this day, neither the bathrooms or their stalls have locks on them, because her ghost has tried to lock a few of the female staff in there. We were really tired after our day of walking though, so we decided to just head back to our rv. We'll have to go back and have a drink there someday…..
We did look for a party on our walk home, but everyone was too cold to come out and play. Since it was the second night sleeping without hookup, our battery ran out in the night, and we awoke shivering! As soon as the parking lot gate was up, we headed out to Tybee Island, to get some heat, and spend a nice quite, spending free day. Took a long, long shower, walked on the beach, saw some more dolphins frolicking where the ocean meets the river, and drove by the Pulaski Fort.
We both would have like to spend more time in Savannah, but we have a few people to visit on the way to meet Kyle and Grandma in Florida.
Now we're visiting Nicole's high school friend and the High Museum, in Atlanta, GA. We are warm and toasty in Rachel Doomiche Walker's apt, but have to go out every few hours in the night and make sure the heat is running and the rv doesn't freeze! Spending a lot on propane....
Soundtrack:
Otis Redding
Little Richard
Ray Charles
Vicky Lawrence (The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia)
Click here for photos!
12.08.2010
Folly Beach - "Shark"!
We slept in, and slept off all those martinis…. then, unplugged the rv and drove to Folly Beach. We had checked the tides and wanted to make sure that we were there for low tide, so we could find some shark teeth. We pulled straight up in front of Folly Beach pier, put on our jackets, gloves, and hats. It was bright and sunny, but freaking cold! Nicole wore her happy rain boots. They make her happy.
We started walking out the long pier, but quickly turned around when we realized we wanted to walk in the sand. We walked for four hours, scouring for our shark tooth and watching the star fish inch for cover in the shrinking tide pools. We saved at least a dozen stranded starfish, but did keep the big sand dollar, after much deliberation of whether it was really dead yet, or not.
As we were walking back towards the pier, and staring intently at the sand, Mom reached her whole arm back and across my chest, in that motion that a driver will do to a passenger in the car if they have to break fast. "Shark"! Only 20 feet away, so close to shore, it did indeed look like a shark fin. But, as it rode on the crest of the wave and then did a back flip out of it before it got too shallow, we realized it was one of a pair of dolphins frolicking in the waves. We watched as they played and gradually moved off down the coastline. We are crab burgers on the pier and watched the sunset.
It was dark when we reached back to the campground, so we drove around to see all the Christmas lights again. Apparently, all the displays were made by one man, who works here at James Island County Park. He's done an amazing job!
We're moving South with some really great memories from Charleston…
Soundtrack -
Ottis Redding (Sittin on the Dock of the Bay)
Etta James
Christmas Carols (been switching the station every time one came on, but had to listen to them through the Christmas lights!)
Click here for photos!
We started walking out the long pier, but quickly turned around when we realized we wanted to walk in the sand. We walked for four hours, scouring for our shark tooth and watching the star fish inch for cover in the shrinking tide pools. We saved at least a dozen stranded starfish, but did keep the big sand dollar, after much deliberation of whether it was really dead yet, or not.
As we were walking back towards the pier, and staring intently at the sand, Mom reached her whole arm back and across my chest, in that motion that a driver will do to a passenger in the car if they have to break fast. "Shark"! Only 20 feet away, so close to shore, it did indeed look like a shark fin. But, as it rode on the crest of the wave and then did a back flip out of it before it got too shallow, we realized it was one of a pair of dolphins frolicking in the waves. We watched as they played and gradually moved off down the coastline. We are crab burgers on the pier and watched the sunset.
It was dark when we reached back to the campground, so we drove around to see all the Christmas lights again. Apparently, all the displays were made by one man, who works here at James Island County Park. He's done an amazing job!
We're moving South with some really great memories from Charleston…
Soundtrack -
Ottis Redding (Sittin on the Dock of the Bay)
Etta James
Christmas Carols (been switching the station every time one came on, but had to listen to them through the Christmas lights!)
Click here for photos!
12.07.2010
Southern Wind
Charleston, South Carolina is a ridiculously beautiful city. From our campsite at the James Island County Park, we took a taxi into town and got dropped in the historic downtown. We strolled all the way down Meeting Street, detouring into every church along the way. The first church we entered was St. Philip's. Established in 1680, St. Philip’s Church, the mother church of Anglicanism in the Carolinas, is the oldest Anglican congregation south of Virginia. After walking around the cemetery and finding the grave of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, we entered the church. A lovely older woman stood up and welcome us in.
"I've never seen a mother and daughter that favor each other so much," she said.
She told us the history of the church, showed us the custom made family pews, pointed out the rare trumpet pipes on the pipe organ and showed us where the black slaves used to sit up in the balconies.
We read all the plaques on the gates of each historic residence, marveled at the side porches ( I mean, doesn't it make so much more sense to have your porch on the side, instead of facing the road?), ate pralines, and peered into all the charming back alleyways. We walked around The Battery, up East Bay St, browsed Market Street, turned West on Calhoun St and then all the way back down King Street. It was cold, but we kept walking and stayed on the sunny side of the street.
When we were too tired to walk anymore, and needed to warm up our fingers, it just so happened to be time to grab a Happy Hour stool at Pearlz Oyster Bar. I started with an oyster shooter, ordered some crab pizza, peel and eat shrimp, corn fritters and fish tacos, two martinis off the $5 martini menu and then, what I had been waiting for all day, a dozen raw oysters. Our friendly shucker, Nate, was from Rhode Island, but happily settled in Charleston. Nate kept us entertained and informed while Mom watched patiently, but in slight disgust, while I slurped down the oysters and grunted my satisfaction after each one. At one point, Nate offered, "They are good, aren't they? They are the only things we eat that are still alive when we eat them."
For some reason, that had never connected with me, but after it did, I had to listen to Mom keep saying that she wouldn't try an oyster because she didn't want it swimming around in her stomach, doing back flips. But… after three martinis, I was able to convince her to try one from my second dozen. And, of course, she loved it. She had another. I hope that I have created a monster. The more oyster bars we can go to, the merrier….
As we were enjoying the oysters and our Southern Wind martinis (Hendricks Gin, St. Germain, Sauvignon Blanc, topped off with Champagne and a twist), an apparent regular took the seat next to me. All the staff, including Nate and his smirking sidekick shucker, Chief, welcomed him in and prepared his usual: salmon b.l.t, hold the bread, with spinach instead of fries. We started chatting, us about our trip, he about his pizza joints and restaurants. Originally from Queens, Michael has tried to stay true to his roots, even after setting up home base in Charleston, naming his Mexican restaurant, Jaunita Greenberg's Nacho Royale.
He invited us to extend our fun and merriment at one of his favorite places, Taco Boy's, on upper King St. A few margaritas, guacamole, and Argentinian corn-on-the-cob later, we wrapped up a really amazing day in Charleston with our new friend. And, as a bonus, he dropped us back to our campsite at the County Park, driving us in his Escalade through the very cool Christmas lighting displays set up all around the park. And, since we were seeing double of all the lights, it was even more spectacular!
Sound track -
The Beatles (Yesterday)
James Taylor (Carolina on My Mind)
Al Green
Click here for Charleston Photos
"I've never seen a mother and daughter that favor each other so much," she said.
She told us the history of the church, showed us the custom made family pews, pointed out the rare trumpet pipes on the pipe organ and showed us where the black slaves used to sit up in the balconies.
We read all the plaques on the gates of each historic residence, marveled at the side porches ( I mean, doesn't it make so much more sense to have your porch on the side, instead of facing the road?), ate pralines, and peered into all the charming back alleyways. We walked around The Battery, up East Bay St, browsed Market Street, turned West on Calhoun St and then all the way back down King Street. It was cold, but we kept walking and stayed on the sunny side of the street.
When we were too tired to walk anymore, and needed to warm up our fingers, it just so happened to be time to grab a Happy Hour stool at Pearlz Oyster Bar. I started with an oyster shooter, ordered some crab pizza, peel and eat shrimp, corn fritters and fish tacos, two martinis off the $5 martini menu and then, what I had been waiting for all day, a dozen raw oysters. Our friendly shucker, Nate, was from Rhode Island, but happily settled in Charleston. Nate kept us entertained and informed while Mom watched patiently, but in slight disgust, while I slurped down the oysters and grunted my satisfaction after each one. At one point, Nate offered, "They are good, aren't they? They are the only things we eat that are still alive when we eat them."
For some reason, that had never connected with me, but after it did, I had to listen to Mom keep saying that she wouldn't try an oyster because she didn't want it swimming around in her stomach, doing back flips. But… after three martinis, I was able to convince her to try one from my second dozen. And, of course, she loved it. She had another. I hope that I have created a monster. The more oyster bars we can go to, the merrier….
As we were enjoying the oysters and our Southern Wind martinis (Hendricks Gin, St. Germain, Sauvignon Blanc, topped off with Champagne and a twist), an apparent regular took the seat next to me. All the staff, including Nate and his smirking sidekick shucker, Chief, welcomed him in and prepared his usual: salmon b.l.t, hold the bread, with spinach instead of fries. We started chatting, us about our trip, he about his pizza joints and restaurants. Originally from Queens, Michael has tried to stay true to his roots, even after setting up home base in Charleston, naming his Mexican restaurant, Jaunita Greenberg's Nacho Royale.
He invited us to extend our fun and merriment at one of his favorite places, Taco Boy's, on upper King St. A few margaritas, guacamole, and Argentinian corn-on-the-cob later, we wrapped up a really amazing day in Charleston with our new friend. And, as a bonus, he dropped us back to our campsite at the County Park, driving us in his Escalade through the very cool Christmas lighting displays set up all around the park. And, since we were seeing double of all the lights, it was even more spectacular!
Sound track -
The Beatles (Yesterday)
James Taylor (Carolina on My Mind)
Al Green
Click here for Charleston Photos
12.04.2010
Asheville, NC and The Biltmore
The Biltmore Estate was built in the 1890s as a private home of George Vanderbilt. It is a 250 room, French - Renaissance Chateau and is America's largest private residence. It is truly beautiful. See the photographs.
On the Biltmore's 8,000 acre estate, we also toured the Biltmore Winery. We had a red wine and chocolate truffle tasting, which was pretty boring. Would not recommend it. The free tasting that you get with your pass is much more fun, because you can taste pretty much the whole wine list if you want. We did that before our fancy tasting.
Asheville is called the hippest city in the South. We thought it was pretty hip: every waiter we had was totally gay (also, we think we may have passed a drag santa parade); there are art galleries and exhibitions all around; all storefronts have either a Buddha, a Shiva, or a Tibetan Tangka painting; stuff is all labeled "organic" and "free trade". . . We had a great time strolling around, even though it was cold and rainy and grey. Had an amazing lunch at Laughing Seed. Fantastic, healthy, delicious food. They also played great music while we were there… angry girl type of music (shout out to Kavita!) and lounge.
Then to World Coffee Co. and had tsirimisu and coffee. Our two hours on the meter was up, so, back to the RV, to maneuver our house carefully back through the city streets. Streets with curbs and traffic and sharp right turns and parking meters flush with the side of the road and…
Click here for photos.
Soundtrack (Laughing Seed):
Portishead (Nobody Loves Me Its True)
Poe (Angry Johnny)
Groova Armada (At the River)
On the Biltmore's 8,000 acre estate, we also toured the Biltmore Winery. We had a red wine and chocolate truffle tasting, which was pretty boring. Would not recommend it. The free tasting that you get with your pass is much more fun, because you can taste pretty much the whole wine list if you want. We did that before our fancy tasting.
Asheville is called the hippest city in the South. We thought it was pretty hip: every waiter we had was totally gay (also, we think we may have passed a drag santa parade); there are art galleries and exhibitions all around; all storefronts have either a Buddha, a Shiva, or a Tibetan Tangka painting; stuff is all labeled "organic" and "free trade". . . We had a great time strolling around, even though it was cold and rainy and grey. Had an amazing lunch at Laughing Seed. Fantastic, healthy, delicious food. They also played great music while we were there… angry girl type of music (shout out to Kavita!) and lounge.
Then to World Coffee Co. and had tsirimisu and coffee. Our two hours on the meter was up, so, back to the RV, to maneuver our house carefully back through the city streets. Streets with curbs and traffic and sharp right turns and parking meters flush with the side of the road and…
Click here for photos.
Soundtrack (Laughing Seed):
Portishead (Nobody Loves Me Its True)
Poe (Angry Johnny)
Groova Armada (At the River)
A Taste of South in Our Mouth
We knew we had crossed the Mason Dixon line when we started seeing a Baptist Church every two miles, found our radio station choices to be country music or Christian music, and noticed bumper stickers reading: "Jesus is Lord" / "Are you following Jesus this close?"/ "Everytime you vote Democrat God kills a kitten".
Thanksgiving week with Mom's Sister Sharon and the Hobarts was a true Stack family holiday - traipsing between each family member's house to eat, drink, watch football, play cards, and nap in between. Sister Sharon channeled the Queen of Southern hospitality herself, Paula Dean, to fill us up with ooey gooey goodness in the form of pulled pork bbq, fried chicken, potato salad, collared greens, spicy baked beans, cornbread, caramel cake, and our favorite, spicy shrimp and grits. Thanksgiving dinner was homefried turkey, fresh cranberry sauce, cranberry muffins, garlic smashed potatoes, and bacon laced brussel sprouts. We contributed one of the deserts, sweet potato pecan pie - Greg's fiance Laura brought the Pineapple upside down cake.
To quench our thirst from the non-stop eating, Gregory supplied us with glasses, bottles, and kegs of all the local flavors and brands. He's a liquor salesman. We had bloody mary's, shots of 910 tequila (Justin Timberlake's tequila - 910 is the area code of Nashville), Pillow Biters (bourbon and peach schnapps), Absinthe (done proper with caramelized sugar and flames - Sharon burnt her lip), gin martinis, Crown Royal Black (stolen from Howard's private stash), Pinot Evil wine (in a box), endless 12 packs brought in from Trevor and Melissa, and the list goes on…
Following annual Southern tradition, we watched the Iron Bowl (Alabama St. vs Auburn U.) at Gregory and Laura's. They made delicious beef (surprisingly, not squirrel) chili with cornbread and Giatta's orange zest ricotta mini cheesecakes. With stomachs warmed, Gregory proceeded to give us tastings from his bar…. Five Olives tomato vodka, grape vodka (tasted like Dymatapp), bourbons, tequilas, and our personal favorite… Coffee Patron.
We had delicious Fajitas and black beans at Trevor and Melissa's gorgeous house. We sat out on their back patio, overlooking the Chickamauga Lake, having margaritas and enjoying the sunshine.
We did do things other than eat and drink. Trevor and Melissa were our tour guides for a sightseeing day: We saw the downtown skyline from the Riverpark, visited the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, and spent a few hours wandering around The Bluff Art District. Bed and breakfasts, Chattanooga's oldest artisan bakery, bacchi ball/ wine bar, and the fantastic River Gallery. The gallery had a great collection of local, regional, and international artists. Our favorites:
Matthew Cummings
Kelly Jean Ohl
Steve Olszewski
The River Gallery also had a wonderful outdoor sculpture garden that curved down the side of the bluff, overlooking the Tennessee River. Highly recommend it. Our favorite piece:
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Of course, we had to eat after all that walking around, so we went to Southern Star and had the Blue Plate special: Fried Pork Chop and sides of collared greens, fried okra, and mac&cheese. Drank Sweetwater IPA and finished off with nana puddin' topped with meringue.
Gregory and Laura took us to visit the Chattanooga Aquarium. Newly constructed, the Ocean Adventure contained a gigantic salt water reef with sharks and freaky fish that we watched circle around for hours, a penguin cove, and an amazing jelly fish exhibit. The jelly fish were so freaking cool, oozing and bubbling and floating around. They had some amazing specimens. The Aquarium, in collaboration with the Hunter Art Museum, had also just hosted a "Living Jellyfish" exhibition, highlighting regional artisans who specialized in organic, jellyfish like glass. There was a case full of Chihuly bowls (wherever Mary Lou travels, she happens across some works by Chihuly!) and some amazing pieces by:
Stephen Rolfe Powell
After the aquarium, we ate sushi. Somehow, it just wasn't right. . .
Click here for the Chattanooga Photos!
Soundtrack: Dolly Parton (Workin' 9 to 5)
Johnny Cash
Thanksgiving week with Mom's Sister Sharon and the Hobarts was a true Stack family holiday - traipsing between each family member's house to eat, drink, watch football, play cards, and nap in between. Sister Sharon channeled the Queen of Southern hospitality herself, Paula Dean, to fill us up with ooey gooey goodness in the form of pulled pork bbq, fried chicken, potato salad, collared greens, spicy baked beans, cornbread, caramel cake, and our favorite, spicy shrimp and grits. Thanksgiving dinner was homefried turkey, fresh cranberry sauce, cranberry muffins, garlic smashed potatoes, and bacon laced brussel sprouts. We contributed one of the deserts, sweet potato pecan pie - Greg's fiance Laura brought the Pineapple upside down cake.
To quench our thirst from the non-stop eating, Gregory supplied us with glasses, bottles, and kegs of all the local flavors and brands. He's a liquor salesman. We had bloody mary's, shots of 910 tequila (Justin Timberlake's tequila - 910 is the area code of Nashville), Pillow Biters (bourbon and peach schnapps), Absinthe (done proper with caramelized sugar and flames - Sharon burnt her lip), gin martinis, Crown Royal Black (stolen from Howard's private stash), Pinot Evil wine (in a box), endless 12 packs brought in from Trevor and Melissa, and the list goes on…
Following annual Southern tradition, we watched the Iron Bowl (Alabama St. vs Auburn U.) at Gregory and Laura's. They made delicious beef (surprisingly, not squirrel) chili with cornbread and Giatta's orange zest ricotta mini cheesecakes. With stomachs warmed, Gregory proceeded to give us tastings from his bar…. Five Olives tomato vodka, grape vodka (tasted like Dymatapp), bourbons, tequilas, and our personal favorite… Coffee Patron.
We had delicious Fajitas and black beans at Trevor and Melissa's gorgeous house. We sat out on their back patio, overlooking the Chickamauga Lake, having margaritas and enjoying the sunshine.
We did do things other than eat and drink. Trevor and Melissa were our tour guides for a sightseeing day: We saw the downtown skyline from the Riverpark, visited the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, and spent a few hours wandering around The Bluff Art District. Bed and breakfasts, Chattanooga's oldest artisan bakery, bacchi ball/ wine bar, and the fantastic River Gallery. The gallery had a great collection of local, regional, and international artists. Our favorites:
Matthew Cummings
Kelly Jean Ohl
Steve Olszewski
The River Gallery also had a wonderful outdoor sculpture garden that curved down the side of the bluff, overlooking the Tennessee River. Highly recommend it. Our favorite piece:
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Of course, we had to eat after all that walking around, so we went to Southern Star and had the Blue Plate special: Fried Pork Chop and sides of collared greens, fried okra, and mac&cheese. Drank Sweetwater IPA and finished off with nana puddin' topped with meringue.
Gregory and Laura took us to visit the Chattanooga Aquarium. Newly constructed, the Ocean Adventure contained a gigantic salt water reef with sharks and freaky fish that we watched circle around for hours, a penguin cove, and an amazing jelly fish exhibit. The jelly fish were so freaking cool, oozing and bubbling and floating around. They had some amazing specimens. The Aquarium, in collaboration with the Hunter Art Museum, had also just hosted a "Living Jellyfish" exhibition, highlighting regional artisans who specialized in organic, jellyfish like glass. There was a case full of Chihuly bowls (wherever Mary Lou travels, she happens across some works by Chihuly!) and some amazing pieces by:
Stephen Rolfe Powell
After the aquarium, we ate sushi. Somehow, it just wasn't right. . .
Click here for the Chattanooga Photos!
Soundtrack: Dolly Parton (Workin' 9 to 5)
Johnny Cash
12.02.2010
First Night for the RV Virgins!
We'll back track and write about our stay in Chattanooga soon. But first we have to talk about today. . .
Last night, was the first day that we really Rv'd it. For the first time since leaving home, we pulled up to an RV campsite, plugged in, channel searched for our cable channels, connected the wi-fi, made the bed, brushed our teeth and slept in our mobile home. It felt good.
But in the morning, the extent of our inexperience became apparent. In an attempt to sanitize our water system, we inadvertently leaked our holding tank all over the county. Water was leaking out the bottom, the water pump was sucking whenever it wanted to, and the hot water smelled like sweet onions. We read all the manuals supplied with the RV. They must have been written by drunk flying monkeys. They make no sense. We googled, "jayco eagle pump running and running", "jayco eagle water draining from under", "jayco eagle hot water smells like sweet onions"… got plenty of instructions how to sanitize the water system (1. drain all water tanks. 2. pour in one half cup of bleach into the holding tank. 3. etc.) but no instructions as to how to actually drain that holding tank. Or no real diagram as to what each of the four nozzles coming off of the water tank were for.
After four hours of watching small rivers of water channel down the hill towards the RV park owners welcome lodge (after she requested that we please not wash the rv or dump water due to the fact in might freeze), we were frustrated and fed up. We called the RV repair shop, whose flier we conveniently found in the welcome lodge, and asked them if they might be able to instruct us. They said sure. For $110 an hour. We were desperate.
We plugged in the address on the flier to our GPS, made sure the stairs were stowed, and drove off, unshowered. Upon reaching the destination, we found an abandoned lot, for sale, and overgrown with weeds. Pissed, we decided not to drive the 45 minutes in the other direction to find the current functioning garage, and pulled back up to the RV park. Undefeated, we pulled apart the RV to expose all the water system components and reexamined our problem. After three more hours of following each pipe from it's origin and turning every combination of valves, we called the previous owner of the RV, Mr. Sanefski. He listened to our troubles, visualized our problem, and shared any pertinent information that he could imagine. After waiting through each of our failed trails of his suggestions, he expressed his worry for us, and wished us luck.
After one more hour of studious observation, and experimentation, I am proud to say, we figured it out. We found the proper combination of valve positions, the optimum water level, and the minimum pumpage time for the luxury of having running hot and cold water in our rv. We even started the bleach cleaning freshening process. Our water works!!
A glass of Southern Comfort on the rocks to celebrate! (Or two….)
"What's that you say? … Fridge is broken? No way."
Good thing the RV welcome lodge sells ice.
Maybe tomorrow we'll use those tickets to the Biltmore.
Soundtrack:
Metallica (Triple play of Unforgiven II, For Whom the Bell Tolls, & Whiskey in the Jar)
Jet (Are You Gonna Be My Girl?)
Godsmack (Voodoo)
Last night, was the first day that we really Rv'd it. For the first time since leaving home, we pulled up to an RV campsite, plugged in, channel searched for our cable channels, connected the wi-fi, made the bed, brushed our teeth and slept in our mobile home. It felt good.
But in the morning, the extent of our inexperience became apparent. In an attempt to sanitize our water system, we inadvertently leaked our holding tank all over the county. Water was leaking out the bottom, the water pump was sucking whenever it wanted to, and the hot water smelled like sweet onions. We read all the manuals supplied with the RV. They must have been written by drunk flying monkeys. They make no sense. We googled, "jayco eagle pump running and running", "jayco eagle water draining from under", "jayco eagle hot water smells like sweet onions"… got plenty of instructions how to sanitize the water system (1. drain all water tanks. 2. pour in one half cup of bleach into the holding tank. 3. etc.) but no instructions as to how to actually drain that holding tank. Or no real diagram as to what each of the four nozzles coming off of the water tank were for.
After four hours of watching small rivers of water channel down the hill towards the RV park owners welcome lodge (after she requested that we please not wash the rv or dump water due to the fact in might freeze), we were frustrated and fed up. We called the RV repair shop, whose flier we conveniently found in the welcome lodge, and asked them if they might be able to instruct us. They said sure. For $110 an hour. We were desperate.
We plugged in the address on the flier to our GPS, made sure the stairs were stowed, and drove off, unshowered. Upon reaching the destination, we found an abandoned lot, for sale, and overgrown with weeds. Pissed, we decided not to drive the 45 minutes in the other direction to find the current functioning garage, and pulled back up to the RV park. Undefeated, we pulled apart the RV to expose all the water system components and reexamined our problem. After three more hours of following each pipe from it's origin and turning every combination of valves, we called the previous owner of the RV, Mr. Sanefski. He listened to our troubles, visualized our problem, and shared any pertinent information that he could imagine. After waiting through each of our failed trails of his suggestions, he expressed his worry for us, and wished us luck.
After one more hour of studious observation, and experimentation, I am proud to say, we figured it out. We found the proper combination of valve positions, the optimum water level, and the minimum pumpage time for the luxury of having running hot and cold water in our rv. We even started the bleach cleaning freshening process. Our water works!!
A glass of Southern Comfort on the rocks to celebrate! (Or two….)
"What's that you say? … Fridge is broken? No way."
Good thing the RV welcome lodge sells ice.
Maybe tomorrow we'll use those tickets to the Biltmore.
Soundtrack:
Metallica (Triple play of Unforgiven II, For Whom the Bell Tolls, & Whiskey in the Jar)
Jet (Are You Gonna Be My Girl?)
Godsmack (Voodoo)
Photos
The photos are going to be loaded into facebook albums. Even if you don't have a face book account, you should be able to see all the photos in the links on the right.
Here is the first link to the first album...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=581795&id=689505353&l=64b26919fe
Here is the first link to the first album...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=581795&id=689505353&l=64b26919fe
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